Machine for making photoprints on printing cylinders



1.. SCHREIB'ER Aug. 11, 1959 MACHINE FOR MAKING PHOTOPRINTS 0N PRINTING CYLINDERS Q 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed. May 2a, 1956 95 INVENTOR Loam ,Scfirezber ATTORNEY)! Aug. 11, 1959 L. SCHREIBER 2,898,834

MACHINE FOR MAKING PHOTOPRINTS ON PRINTING CYLINDERS Filed May 23, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR I low is Safirez'ber BY ,5 MW

ATTORNEYS Aug. 11, 1959- L. SCHREIBER 2,893,334

V MACHINE FOR MAKING PHOTOP-RINTS 0N PRINTING CYLINDERS Filed May 25, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVEIQTOR 10am Scfirezber ATTORNEY;

g- 1, 9 L. SCHREIBER 2,898,834

MACHINE FOR MAKING PHOTOPRIN'IS ON PRINTING CYLINDERS Filed May 23, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR Louis Scfirez'ber United States Patent MACHINE FOR MAKING PHOTOPRINTS ON PRINTING CYLINDERS Louis Schreiber, Charlotte, N.C., .assignor to Carolina Textile Engraving Company, Charlotte, N.C., a corporation of North Carolina Application May 23, 1956, Serial No. 586,729

6 Claims. (Cl. 95-775) The general object of this invention is to provide an improved machine for placing a selected design on a printing cylinder by the photographic process of exposing a sensitive emulsion on the cylinder to a light source, with a film or negative having the desired design on it in contact with the cylinder.

While my machine is particularly adapted for use in the textile printing industry, it may be used in producing printing cylinders for use in other arts.

One object of my invention is to provide an improved machine for making photoprints on printing cylinders. Another object is to provide improved means for supporting the printing cylinder on the machine. Another object is to provide improved means for accommodating various widths and diameters of printing cylinders. Another object is to provide means for holding a film or negative in firm contact with the printing cylinder, and for turning the printing cylinder and film together, comprising a drive roller mounted parallel to the printing cylinder, and an elongate transparent or light pervious band embracing said drive roller and said printing cylinder, said band being tensioned so as to hold said film against said printing cylinder and at the same time to serve as a driving connection between said drive roller and said printing cylinder. Another object is to provide improved means for adjusting and regulating the tension of said band. Another object is to provide convenient means for quickly attaching and detaching the ends of the band for changing printing cylinders and negatives.

Another object is to provide a machine of the type described having convenient means for regulating the circumferential width of the printing cylinder exposed to printing light.

Other objects will become apparent from the following description and drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an improved machine made in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same with the lamp removed and the top masks thrown back;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the same;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view to enlarged scale of a portion of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary section taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on line 8-8 of Figure 1, showing details of the clamp for attaching the ends of the flexible apron to the drive cylinder;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary section on line 9-9 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary section taken on line 10-10 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary enlarged view of means which may be used in place of that illustrated in Figs. 8, 9, and

.10 for connecting the ends of the apron together, but

without attaching them to the drive cylinder; and

Patented Aug. 11, 1959 Fig. 12 is a fragmentary section taken on line 12-12 of Fig. 11.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like characters designate the same or similar parts, there is shown a print ing machine made in accordance With my invention generally designated 20, comprising a frame 21, a drive roller 22 fixed on a shaft 23 which is rotatably mountedin bearings 24 on frame 21. Drive roller 22 may be rotated at a selected, comparatively slow speed about the axis of shaft 23 by means of a motor 25, which drives shaft 23 through an adjustable speed gear 26 and suitable chain drives 27 and 28 to a pulley 23 fixed on shaft 23 (Fig. 3).

Drive shaft 23 is disposed horizontally. Means is provided for rotatably supporting a printing cylinder 30 on a shaft 31 above and parallel to the axis of drive shaft 23, and for adjusting the distance between drive roller 22 and .printing cylinder 30. This means comprises a pair of shaft supports 32, one at each end of machine 20. Each support 32 comprises a pair of rotatably mounted roller bearings 33 the axes of which are parallel and horizontally spaced apart a short distance so as to provide asupport between them for the shaft .31. Roller bearings 33 are mounted on a bracket 34 which is fixed to the upper end of a :threaded vertical shaft 35. Shaft 35 is slidably received in a vertical tube 36 fixed to frame v21. A wheel 37, :threadedly mounted on shaft 35, is supported by a spring 38 which rests on the top of tube 36. Spring 38 balances the weight of the printing cylinder, shaft '31, and support members 32, 35, ,etc., making it easy to turn wheel 37. Thus wheel 37 may be turned to raise or lower printing cylinder 30 and adjust the distance between drive roller 22 and printing cylinder 30.

Various types of printing cylinders may be mounted on supports 32. The printing cylinder 30 illustrated comprises a copper sleeve 41 rigidly mounted on a supporting cylinder 42 which has a tapered bore 43. As indicated in Figure 5, a convenient mandrel is provided for mounting this type of printing cylinder comprising, adjacent each end of shaft 31, a tapered plug of wood, rubber, or a tough plastic material mounted on a metal sleeve which has a set screw for clamping it in desired position. Each plug hasenough resilience to adapt its conical surface to engage the bored surface 43, and is forced into firm engagement therewith, thus firmly centering print'roll 30 on shaft 31.

To prevent end play of the printing cylinder I preferably provide a portion 47 of reduced diameter in shaft 31 adjacent each end, shaped so as to fit roller bearings 33 snugly, as illustrated in Fig. 6.

For some types of printing cylinders a permanent shaft is provided, in which case the shaft need not have'portions 47 of reduced diameter and may be placed directly upon roller bearings 33. To prevent end play in this case, small collars may be slipped over the shaft after it is placed on the supports 32, one at each end, and when the cylinders are in the desired position these collars may be brought up against the adjacent roller bearings 33 and fixed to the shaft by set screws.

For holding a film or negative 49 against the printing cylinder, and for turning the printing cylinder and negative together for the printing operation, a light-pervious apron, preferably a transparent flexible apron 50 of celluloid or the like, is used. I prefer to use transparent celluloid about 0.010 inch thick. The ends of this apron are detachably connected, preferably being attached, by means to be described below, to the drive cylinder 22, with the apron extending around drive roller 22 and printing cylinder 30, so as to form a belt loop embracing roller 22 and cylinder 30. The threaded shaft 35 and adjusting means 37 at each end provide means whereby the printing cylinder may be raised as necessary to take up the slack in belt loop 50. Thus, means is provided for quickly accommodating printing cylinders of different diameters.

To increase the arc of contact of apron or belt loop 50 with film 49 and printing roller 39, and to provide means for adjusting and subsequently regulating the tension of apron 50, a pair of adjustable apron guide members 60 and 61 are provided between drive roller 22 and printing cylinder 39. These are elongate members outside belt loop 50, parallel to shaft 23, and pressing inwardly against apron 58. Preferably, as shown in the illustrated embodiment, members 60 and 61 are idler rollers having shafts rotatably mounted in frame 21 parallel to shaft 23. However, if desired, smooth nonrotatable members may be used. In either case, regulating means are provided to adjust apron guides 60 and 61 toward and away from apron 50. The preferred means illustrated comprises, for each of members 60 and 61, a slidable bearing block 62 at each end, rotatably supporting the shaft. Each bearing block 62 is slidably mounted in a horizontal slot (not shown). An adjusting screw 63 is provided for each bearing block 62 for adjusting the position of apron guides 60 and 61 inwardly and outwardly with respect to apron 50. Thus, means is provided for regulating the tension of apron 50 and for increasing the arc of contact of apron 50, film 49, and printing cylinder 30.

Any suitable means may be provided for detachably connecting the ends of apron 50 to drive roller 22. The preferred means (Figs. 8, 9, and l) comprises an H- shaped holder 70 which is bolted to roller 22 and extends along the full length of the roller, parallel to shaft 23. This provides two channels or sockets 71 and 72, one on each side. Two retainer strips 73 are provided, one for each of the ends 52 and 53 of the apron. Each retainer strip 73 is U-shaped in cross section and is provided with means for clamping the end of the strip within the channel or groove provided by the U-shaped configuration. In the illustrated means, a brass filler strip 74 is fixed to one side of the channel by spaced screws indicated at 75. Within the remaining space in the channel there are placed a pair of clamp strips, one a rubber strip 76, and the other a metal strip 77. Spaced screws 78 provide means whereby strips 77 and 76 may be pressed against the end of apron 50 to hold it firmly against the other side of retainer strip 73 and thereby clamp it firmly to said retainer strip. The retainer strips 73 are semi-permanently attached to the respective ends of apron 50, and holders 70 with clamping screws 79 provide means for quickly anchoring strips 73 and therefore ends 52 and 53 of apron 50 to grive roller 22, and for quickly detaching them there- It will be seen that means is thus provided to form apron 50 into a belt loop embracing drive roller 22 and printing cylinder 30, with film 49 held tightly against the latter.

Although I prefer to secure the ends of apron 50 to drive roller 22, and in the manner described above, it is not necessary to do this. Instead, the two ends of the apron may be detachably connected together without being connected to drive roller 22, thus forming a belt loop embracing drive roller 22 and printing cylinder 30. One means for doing this is illustrated in Figs. 11 and 12. One end portion 52 0f apron 50 is doubled within an interfitting strip 80 of U-shaped configuration and a hookshaped strip 82, with a rubber filler strip 84 pressing portion 52 against strip 80, the edge of end portion 52 being indicated at 52. This may be done by looping the end portion 52 into the recess of strip 32, placing strip 84 in the bight of end portion 52 outside strip 82, and then forcing U-shaped strip 80 into place. Similarly, the other end portion 53 of apron 50 has attached to it a pair of cooperating strips 81 and 83 with another rubber filler strip 84, the edge portion of end 53 being indicated at 53. Strips 82 and 83 have a plurality of cooperating 4 female fittings 86 and male fittings which interengage as illustrated in Figs. 11 and 12. Thus, ends 52 and 53 may be connected together without being attached to drive roller 22, and the belt loop thus formed may be drawn tight by means described above.

For printing the design from film 49 on to the sensitized surface of printing cylinder 30, a bank of fluorescent tubes 38 is suspended over cylinder 30. An adjustable aperture 89 is provided between cylinder 30 and lamps 88, comprising a pair of hinged adjustable masks 90, one on each side as illustrated in Fig. 4. Each adjustable mask 90 comprises a panel 91 hinged at 92 to frame 21 for rotation about a hinge axis parallel to shafts 23 and 31, and an adjustable panel 93 adjustably secured to panel 91 for adjustment toward and away from hinge 92. This adjusting means comprises a pair of spaced slots 94 and clamping means 95 extending through panels 91 and 93 to clamp the two panels in selected position. A suitable padded portion 96 covered with black cloth is provided under the edge of panel remote from hinge 92 for resting against apron 50 to provide a light-tight edge at each side of aperture 89. Thus, the width of aperture 89 may be adjusted. In order to accommodate printing cylinders 30 of larger diameter than illustrated, hinges 92 may be made vertically adjustable as indicated in Fig. 4 by clamping the lower leaf 97 of each hinge 92 to frame 21 with a bolt 98 extending through a vertical slot 99 in leaf 97. Thus, for a cylinder of larger diameter than illustrated, the hinge pins 92 of both masks 90 may be raised.

The width of aperture 89 chosen depends upon the illumination provided by lamps 88, the speed at which printing cylinder 30 is rotated, and the sensitivity or speed of the photo-sensitive emulsion with which cylinder 30 is coated. For a printing cylinder having an axial length about 48 inches I prefer to use a bank of four 40-watt 360 black Westinghouse tubes spaced about 5 inches above the cylinder 39 and parallel thereto. Using a photo-sensitive emulsion on cylinder 30 of the usual sensitivity, I use an aperture width 89 of approximately 2 /2 to 3 inches, and rotate cylinder 30 at a surface speed of about 2 inches per minute. As stated above, drive roller 22 is driven by motor 25 through adjustable speed gear 26. This speed gear is preferably of any conventional type, well known in the art, in which there is a sutficiently wide choice of speeds, either in small finite steps or in a continuous variable speed range, to move apron 50 at any desirable printing speed. In this way, printing cylinder 30 may be rotated at the desired speed.

The operation of my machine will be apparent from the foregoing description. Apron 50 having been prepared by placing a strip 73 on each end, and masks 90 being thrown back out of the way, the printing cylinder 30 is mounted on the machine by placing its shaft 31 on the supports 32 in the proper axial position. Film 49 with the desired design is laid on the cylinder in proper position and apron 50 is placed over it, the end portions being threaded downwardly between guide rollers 60 and 61, and the ends are then clamped in holder 70. Cylinder 30 is then raised by adjusting means 37 to take up the slack of the apron and bring shaft 31 into a position parallel with shaft 23. Adjusting means 63 on each side are then used to adjust the tension of apron or belt loop 50 to press film 49 tightly against cylinder 30 and to form a driving connection between drive roller 22 and cylinder 30. Masks 90 are then swung into position and aperture 89 adjusted. Suitable masking cloths are then laid across the ends of the cylinder, covering the ends of masks 90. All this is done under yellow light which does not affect the sensitized coating on printing cylinder 30. Lamps 88 are brought into position, adjustable speed gear 26 is set at the desired setting, and motor 25 is started, thereby starting the rotation of cylinder 30. The lamps are then turned on until cylinder 30 has completed a revolution, when the exposure of printing cylinder 30 is completed and the lamps are turned oil.

To shift rolls of the same size, it is only necessary to disconnect one end of apron 50 from holder 70 and thread it back to clear cylinder 30. The printing cylinders may then be changed and the operation repeated for the next cylinder.

As numerous changes Within the scope of the appended claims will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the foregoing description and accompanying drawings are to be considered as being illustrative of my invention and are not to be interpreted in a limiting sense.

I claim as my invention:

1. A machine for photoprinting a design on a printing cylinder, said design being on a film laid on said printing cylinder for photoprinting operation, comprising a drive roller mounted in said machine for rotation about a drive axis, means for rotating said drive roller, means for supporting a printing cylinder for free rotation about an axis parallel to said drive axis, a flexible apron adapted to cover said film laid on said printing cylinder, the portion of said apron over said design being light pervious, means detachably connecting the ends of said apron to form a belt loop tightly embracing said drive roller and said printing cylinder to press said film against said printing cylinder and to form a driving connection between said drive roller and said printing cylinder for rotating the latter, a pair of apron guide members between said drive roller and said printing cylinder outside said belt loop, one on each side and pressing inwardly against said belt loop to wrap it around larger arcs of said printing cylinder and said drive roller, and means for at least one of said guide members for adjusting its position toward and away from said belt loop to regulate the tension thereof; whereby said film may be placed on said printing cylinder under said apron, said apron guide members may be adjusted toward and away from said belt loop to regulate the tension thereof, and said drive roller may be rotated to rotate said printing cylinder with said film thereagainst for a photoprinting operation.

2. A machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein each said guide comprises an idler roller.

3. A machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein said means detachably connecting the ends of said apron comprises means at each end of said apron detachably connecting said end to said drive roller.

4. A machine for photoprinting a design on a printing cylinder, said design being on a film laid on said printing cylinder for a photoprinting operation, comprising a drive roller mounted in said machine for rotation about a horizontally disposed drive axis, means for rotating said drive roller, a pair of horizontally spaced vertically adjustable shaft supports spaced above said drive roller for rotatably supporting the ends of the shaft of a printing cylinder above said drive roller with the axis of said shaft parallel to said drive axis, a flexible apron adapted to cover said film laid on said printing cylinder, the portion of said apron over said design being lightpervious, means detachably connecting the ends of said apron to form a belt loop tightly embracing said drive roller and said printing cylinder to press said film against said printing cylinder and to form a driving connection between said drive roller and said printing cylinder for rotating the latter, a pair of apron guide rollers between said drive roller and said printing cylinder outside said belt loop, one on each side and pressing inwardly against said belt loop to wrap it around larger arcs of said printing cylinder and said drive roller, and means for each said guide roller for adjusting its position toward and away from said belt loop to regulate the tension thereof; whereby a printing cylinder may be supported above said drive roller on said shaft supports, a film with a design thereon may be laid on said printing cylinder, said apron may be placed over said film and its ends detachably connected to form a belt loop embracing said drive roller and said printing cylinder, said drive roller may be rotated to rotate said printing cylinder, and said guide rollers may be adjusted toward and away from said belt loop to regulate the tension thereof.

5. A machine in accordance with claim 4 wherein said means detachably connecting the ends of said apron to form a belt loop comprises means at each end thereof detachably attaching said respective end to said drive roller.

6. A machine in accordance with claim 4 wherein said means detachably connecting the ends of said apron to form a belt loop comprises a strip for each said end fixed thereto, a pair of sockets on said drive roller adapted to receive said respective ends with said strips attached, and means for each said socket to clamp said respective apron end therein.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,344,896 Jobke June 29, 1920 1,878,347 Tausz et a1 Sept. 20, 1932 2,040,827 Brell May 19, 1936 2,288,352 Henderson June 30, 1942 2,589,933 Frank Mar. 18, 1952 2,617,338 McMahon Nov. 11, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 322,994 Great Britain Dec. 19, 1929 125,696 Austria Nov. 25, 1931 

